High School sweethearts Marissa and Brent marry in a rustic and romantic setting at a local brewery.

Marissa and Brent met when they were young though a mutual friend on Brent’s baseball team, and went on to throw a beautiful rustic and romantic wedding.

How he proposed:We were engaged by the riverfront in Bay City, MI right along the river walk. We often go on picnics in the summer, so Brent asked me to go for a picnic and then we walked after. During the walk by the river, Brent stopped and got down on one knee.

Honeymoon:We originally were scheduled to go to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, however found out a few days before the big day that there were hurricanes so we switched our entire honeymoon the day after the wedding and left the next day for Aruba.

Most Memorable moment:Seeing each other as I walked down the aisle with everyone smiling and watching as we said our vows.

You and your husbands’ wedding advice: Don’t get too caught up in the details and don’t sweat the small stuff. Enjoy the process together because it flies by. Make the day about you instead of letting others influence your decisions, this is your big day!

What was the biggest roadblock that you ran into while planning the wedding? The biggest roadbock while planning was definitely issues related to trying to limit the amount of guests to invite. It is hard to make everyone happy and keep the number within the desired range.

Who/what gave you the most help in the planning process?The florist was the most helpful in the planning process. She had a huge part in the decorations and really assisted in bringing everything together to make the ideas and theme come alive.

How much influence did your family/ fiancé have in the planning process?I handled most of the planning alone, with some advice and assistance from my husband. It was easier for me to make the phone calls, emails, and attend meetings because I had a picture in my head of how I wanted everything to look. Sometimes it is easier just keeping the amount of people assisting to a minimum!

Which part of the process gave you the most stress?Definitely the flowers, centerpieces, decorations. It is a lot of decision making with what colors, types of items, flowers etc you want. Pinterest was my best friend throughout the entire planning process!

What did you do that you found helped out with stress the best?I kept a binder and separated it into sections (flowers, DJ, caterer, etc.) and kept all of my papers and pictures organized. I also really liked using the wedding planning checklists online, it really helped me make sure I had everything done and it gave me a timeline for doing things which was extremely helpful to keep me on track!

Is there anything that didn’t go as planned?Our wedding ceremony was delayed due to the florist being late with all of the flowers for the church, family members, bridesmaids, and bridal bouquet. They arrived about 15 minutes after the ceremony was supposed to begin which was a very stressful moment. Besides that, everything went as planned.

What was your favorite part of the experience/ event?Definitely the reception. The DJ was awesome and kept the party going until the end of the night.

If you could go back in time, what would you have changed?If I could go back in time, I probably would have had a smaller event. I am still glad I had the church ceremony and reception, but I would probably limit the amount of guests to more immediate family members.

What did you do to save money?We didn’t get unnecessary entertainment like a photobooth or any extravagant favors which kept the budget on the lower side. We also kept our invitations on the cheaper side which helps lower the cost a little.

What was your biggest splurge?The DJ was one of our bigger purchases, but we really wanted a great DJ who would be able to keep the reception fun for everyone. The DJ is one of the most important parts of a reception, so we spent extra money to make sure we had a good one and it was definitely worth the money!